4 replies to this topic

[RushmoreAnts]

Parasitic Slave-Raiding Formica

Formica sanguina group

Update 1

August 8, 2024

 

Ants_Dakota was camping in Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He came across the tail end of parasitic Formica flights, and caught several queens. He was kind enough to give me the queens he didn't want, so here we are. Shout out to AUD! Anyways, I have two species, both in the sanguinea group, which for now I'm going to call Formica cf. aserva and Formica cf. subintegra. We originally believed they were integra group, so we attempted polygyne, which resulted in the death of a couple queens. I have two of the cf. aserva queens and one of the cf. subintegra queens. AUD only wanted a shinier one that is also presumably in the sanguinea group, as he doesn't want to be completely loaded up with Formica colonies. His was one of the healthier queens. I introduced Formica fusca group host pupae to all of the queens, and they all began to groom them and transport them to the furthest reaches of their test tubes. The cf. subintegra queen seems the healthiest to me, and interestingly her host pupae are naked. Two workers have eclosed so far, with 6 more on the way. She has a total of 25 host brood including a couple larvae they are caring for. The cf. aserva queens have roughly 10 cocooned pupae each. I absolutely love parasitic Formica. While I think pallidefulva group queens are more beautiful per se, I can't get over the robust, aggressive look of sanguinea group Formica. These queens, unlike most others I've kept, seem to have personality. They're quick, nimble, aggressive, and have great eyesight, all of which contribute to their exaggerated-looking movements and behaviors. They seem to be looking at you - watching you - probably because they are. I'm super excited to keep these queens and am hoping they lay eggs before hibernation.

 

Formica cf. aserva Colony A

 

 

 

 

 

 

Formica cf. aserva Colony B

 

Formica cf. aserva Colony B 8/6/2024 (youtube.com)

 

 

 

 

Formica cf. subintegra

 

 

 

Edited by RushmoreAnts, December 7 2024 - 8:50 PM.

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

Are they like rufa where they can live all by themselves after the slaves die out?

[RushmoreAnts]

Are they like rufa where they can live all by themselves after the slaves die out?

They're parasitic, not slave raiders. They need host workers to found their colonies, that's it. Their own workers are self-sufficient.

[Ants_Dakota]

For those experienced with the Formica genus, you can help us ID these queens here.

[RushmoreAnts]

Update 2

December 7, 2024

 

Well, it turns out people actually know what they're talking about after all... These queens, who I discovered are actually sanguinea group slave raiders thanks to Mettcollsus, do not, in fact, lay eggs before hibernation. I have not updated this journal because these colonies have done absolutely nothing noteworthy besides eat and wait. At the end of October, I put them into hibernation along with my Claustral Formica, only taking them out now to film them. I will take them out of hibernation on March 15, as mid-October to mid-March is typically the duration of a South Dakotan winter, or as close to typical as our weather will ever get. I've seen high 60s F in December and snow in May. But for a hibernation schedule, it works.

 

Formica cf. aserva Colony A

These queens ended up eating most of their pupae, as I think I gave them too many originally. This one ended up with 8-9 full-sized, fat host workers, ready for nursing duty come spring.

 

 

Formica cf. aserva Colony B

Well, this queen never ended up opening her pupae and died a few weeks later. At least I still have one...

 

Formica cf. subintegra

Ok, I'm still not sure on the species of this one, just that it's in the sanguinea group. I'm calling it cf. subintegra for now. She only ended up with 4 host workers, and I may give her more host pupae in the spring.

 

Edited by RushmoreAnts, December 7 2024 - 8:47 PM.